India to Face Five-Time World Cup Winner Brazil in Friendly Football Match on Saturday
16 Ashwin, Kathmandu – In an upcoming international friendly football match, India is set to compete against five-time World Cup champion Brazil this Saturday. The match between India and Brazil will take place at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Cricket Ground in Kolkata. This will be the first senior men’s international football encounter between the two nations. The Brazilian squad has arrived in Kolkata for the match. Brazil’s head coach Carlo Ancelotti has named a 26-member squad, including prominent players such as Vinicius Junior, Raphinha, and Endrick. Vinicius from Real Madrid and Raphinha from Barcelona are key attacking players for Brazil. Alongside the young Real Madrid talent Endrick, players like Chelsea’s Estevão, Bournemouth’s Ryan, and Flamengo’s Pedro and Samuel Lino are also part of the team.
Prior to facing India, Brazil played two friendly matches against Australia on September 25 in Townsville and September 29 in Brisbane. This 26-member Brazilian squad includes only nine players who participated in the recent FIFA World Cup. Neymar has retired from international football after the World Cup, and experienced players such as Casemiro, Allison, Ederson, Danilo, and Weverton are not included in this lineup. According to FIFA rankings, Brazil stands fifth globally, while India is ranked 138th.
India’s head coach Khalid Jamil has also announced a 26-member squad for the friendlies against Brazil, Panama, and Uruguay. India drew 1-1 with Panama on September 26 and will face Uruguay in Kolkata on October 6 after the Brazil match. The Indian squad features goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu along with Anwar Ali, Anirudh Thapa, Sahal Abdul Samad, and Manvir Singh among other players.
India’s squad: Albino Gomes, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Prabhsukhan Singh Gill, Som Kumar, Abhishek Singh Techam, Akash Mishra, Anwar Ali, Bijoy Vargis, Hmingthana Mavia Ralte, Jai Gupta, Pramveer, Ricky Meitei Haobam, Anirudh Thapa, Ashique Kuruniyan, Farukh Chaudhary, Lalengmawia Ralte, Makartan Nixon, Mohammad Sanan, Ricky Shabong, Sahal Abdul Samad, Edmund Lalrindika, Irfan Yadwada, Manvir Singh, Rahim Ali, Ryan Williams, and Vikram Pratap Singh.
Brazil’s squad: Hugo Souza, Pedro Morisco, Otavio, Arthur Dias, Douglas Santos, Gabriel Magalhães, Jair, Marquinhos, Matheuzinho, Mauro Junior, Vitor Reis, Wesley, Andre Santos, Breno Bidon, Bruno Guimaraes, Danilo Santos, Douglas Luiz, Gabriel Bontempo, Endrick, Estevão, Gabriel Martinelli, Pedro, Raphinha, Ryan, Samuel Lino, and Vinicius Junior.
